John, do you think you can play that kind of style when you are, I mean, it looks like going to be fighting at the bottom end of the table? Yeah.

It really depends.

I think Neil McCann probably got a bit of...

It was probably two things at the end of last season.

He got a boost from being the new manager and he had Finlay Curtis, who all of a sudden just hit the ground running and that confidence was flying through the team.

Loses a striker and transfer window, doesn't have Finlay Curtis.

And then he's recruited for this style of football.

Everybody in that system knows what they're doing and then they leave and they don't have that and that's maybe why they're struggling.

And do you think he's getting closer, John, to his preferred starting 11, or do you think he's still very much in the, the learning stage about what he wants that to look like?

Yeah, I think that that's a...

The, the biggest problem we have with this 3-5-2-1, 3-5, 3-4-2-1, 3-5-2 formation is, for me, Ben Doak and Aaron Hickey because I, I think a younger, injury-free Aaron Hickey gives you the same freedom Andy Robertson does, who will go and run at people, take people on, and create stuff himself.

The injuries he's had with his hamstring, I think he's lost a little bit explosivity driving with the ball, and I think even in North Macedonia, I understand the level of opponent's different.

I felt that with Ben Doak in that right wing back area, you felt you had a bit more going forward.

You felt like you had a bit more aggression in the press, um, and just a bit more individuality because I don't think there's anyone in our squad that can replicate what Ben Doak brings.

I think Lewis Binks and Steven Welsh have been absolute finds.

Could have had a hat-trick in 10 minutes at the weekend, couldn't he? [laughs]

Is it time for Ollie McBurnie again?

Yeah, I'm caught in two minds about whether I want to see the, the 3-5-2 or the 3-4-2-1, but maybe McBurnie as the sole striker and bringing in a, a Ben Doak or McPeake and somebody that's got a bit of legs that can pick up the ball and actually run at people instead of just having the threat in behind.

'Cause, I mean, although he doesn't look his age, I feel like Rodriguez has been around for, for four decades.

I feel like Rodriguez has been around the entire time I've watched football.

But if you could find a Ben Doak and a 10 pulling out wide to get 1v1 on Rodriguez at 34, although still ridiculously fit, I would be...

You've seen Ben Doak do that to Gvardiol.

You've seen it do it to, to better players in their prime.

Um, this should be his time to shine really in the, in the, the dark blue.

Um, I think he's kinda blown that out the water to some respect, hasn't he? And, uh, good football ideas should be able to translate to anywhere, including Scottish football.

I, I think that's the key thing there, right there.

See, good footballing ideas, doesn't matter whether it's coming from a Scottish coach, an English coach, a coach from Thailand, a coach from Asia, whatever it is.

See if your ideas are good and the players understand.

Scott talked, talked about clarity.

That's the biggest thing.

And then the other thing's the psychological support to do the things, because if a coach asks you to play a certain way, you understand what he's asking you to do, and then at halftime of a game, he tells you not to play in there, "Don't take risks there," you go, "Well, that's different from what we spoke about for six weeks." Bertel Askou was always on top of that all the time, and he talked about psychological safety, emotional support of players, that if you made the mistake, it was on me.

Scott, what do you think? How are the Hibs fans responding initially to this appointment? It's certainly a little bit of a step into the unknown, but we've seen, and as we've discussed, that gamble in inverted commas can certainly pay off.

Uh, John, h- how much of a difference will it make that HJK are 18 games into their league season? They're currently sitting fourth in the, the Finnish League, won eight, lost six, drawn four.

Aye, I mean, I, I think it helps them for, for being ready for the season, but I think when you look at their form, I mean, they've dropped 50% of their points in the league already.

So, like I said, they're not exactly a team that's on form or on fire.

Um, I think it just helps with freshness.

I think anyone would re- would want to be playing the middle of the season when you get your games up and everyone's match fit, 'cause obviously, Masmuni said the injury preseason, I know it was only his jaw, so it wouldn't have impacted any of that.

But I think when you watch Motherwell, like, I watched Priestman and Faringer, they look as fresh as anyone.

They're so, so sharp in midfield.

How, how tough an opponent do you think Skendija are going to be?

The manager's gone and a lot of their highest performing players have gone as well.

I mean, I think that's going to be the hardest part, to be honest.

I don't think you're going to replace a recruitment window like they had for 18 months.

And I think that's going to be very tricky to replicate.

But I think people kind of forget about Michael Wimmer in this movement is that they came to Ibrox and won 2-1 and it was probably as good a Motherwell side as I'd seen come to Ibrox in that spell at the end of two seasons ago when he was in charge.

And obviously they then went from him to Jens who, like I know people hate when you say this, but to me revolutionised what I had seen before from another team.

Like I had never seen a team being so confident to dominate Rangers and Celtic with the ball.

Oh, it's going to be an interesting season.

heard that before and John explained that away so John you watched every single World Cup game

every single World Cup game yes why so I was doing the analysis project and the original plan was 48 teams do it all pre-tournament and then I was like so we'll analyse every team in advance of the World Cup which was done that was from like January onwards was picking that and then I was like my work was finishing at the end of May and I was like if I can get some sponsors I could just take the World Cup off but I would need to do more analysis to get exposure for the sponsors And I was like, analyse every game.

That then means I need to watch every game to keep on top of what teams are doing, what's changing.

And that was just that.

I mean, like New Zealand, Iran at four o'clock in the morning was a slog.

Those games were hard.

I don't think we were terrible I think there was patches and that I think there was other games the Greece and Belarus games the Belarus home game was horrendous I think they were much worse than that game if we're going to pick anything I was at Greece away the first 60 minutes was abysmal and the last 30 was incredible

but that's we are good when we're chasing and can go a bit gung ho for me I still look at Scotland and go I don't like the back I don't like the back five but I still think after the season he'd had at Celtic there's no way in this planet I would have not had Kieran Tierney starting that team and it wasn't to put him left wing like the Morocco game it was to play the back five because I still think in a development of play that's still the only thing we've ever built under Steve Clarke was the underlapping overlapping of Tierney and Robertson that was what got us to Spain it was what was so good about that side I would have forced that in any way and that would have allowed you to play McTominay higher as the 10 McGinn higher and I'm a big one for does Gannon Doak become a casualty in that team though? maybe but I also think you could you could maybe drop McGinn into like between 6 and 8 10

Do, could, do you see them coming up and going out and challenging at the top? Do you think it'll be a fight near the bottom? What, what are you expecting?

I, I don't think they'll, they'll challenge to win the title.

I, I know that, that there's certainly Mick Kennedy and Simon Ferry will look to be, uh, challenging to win the title, but I think that they'll be...

I think they'll do well if they can finish in the top four.

I don't think that's outside the realms of possibility.

I think this is quite a, it's a, a new look-ish team for them.

There's some of the old stagers that have done very well for them in the Lowland League, like say Jordan McGregor, Jack Leach.

Craig, Spartans, what are you expecting from them finishing second in the league last term? Do you see them being able to go one better this year?

What about tactically from Steve Clark's point of view then, John? From what you've seen of this Brazil team, what's the best approach for us, do you think?

Deep back five sitting off because I think if you've, the Haty goal, if you've seen the two goals, it was balls in behind when Haty were actually trying to play a bit of a higher line and go press them.

We've seen that Morocco opening 90 seconds.

Scotland were susceptible from 30 yards out for a ball in behind twice in the first 90 seconds.

It almost happened before they scored it as well.

So for me, I just don't think we have the capability in players.

We've got one or two, but I don't think we can go play a higher line and not be exposed.

What would your team be?

So what are we up against tonight, John, would you say? How would you break it down? Who are the key players? And what sort of formation will they go for? And what sort of psychology will they be coming into this match like? Did they play a 4-2-3-1, is that right, against Brazil? Is that what you're expecting again tonight?

Yeah, 4-2-3-1, but E- En-Nesyri, El Kaoutari, Diaz, and Saibari all move around.

So that kind of three and the one at the top don't stay in any one position, which gives us a real problem for me with I'm not gonna expect either of our two or three center halves to follow Saibari, the center forward, to move around if he pulls to the right.

And that tends to be he pulls to the right with Diaz and Hakimi and creates an overload Out on the right wing for them to try and get Hakimi in behind for crosses.

They will be brave on the ball, they build out.

I think anyone that thought Morocco weren't gonna be as good as they were four years ago and seen the first half against Brazil went, "Well, if there's one team that were gonna go win the World Cup between Morocco and Brazil from that game, it's definitely the African nation." So I h- hope that's made people stand up a little bit.

I think looking back at the Scotland game, the amount of times in that first half that we turned the ball over to Haiti, but they did not have the quality to go and break forward with it quick.

That's just quite basic.

What went wrong?

I think I said that the 4-4-2 I don't like it I think it becomes when you get Grant Hanley and Jack Henry on the ball what kept happening was they kept going back to Angus Gunn and then there's no option beyond that so Angus Gunn is then launching the ball at the park I thought the ball the boy Delcroix at centre half won everything in the air that went up to Shanklin and Adams he dominated he was definitely man of the match so that starts the boy Belgrad who plays for Wolves kind of controlling the midfield Hey! controlled the midfield what was his boys clubbing I

so glad you're the stat man

guaranteed with a draw Oh, he's thinking.

Qatar have thrown a span on the works because they were one of the teams that I was like, well, they'll get beat off of everyone.

So everyone will be in three points.

Right, give us a percentage.

What are the chances of us qualifying with a draw? Three points.

What can you tell us?

Uh, Haiti 4-2-3-1.

They are quite direct getting the ball into the opposition's half, but when they do, they're quite tricky up front.

The, the front four kinda cheat, so whenever they're defending they'll be quite happy to defend with their back four and their two defensive midfielders, and they'll try and let Scotland come onto them.

They'll try and let Andy Robertson get high.

The minute they turn that ball over, it's going out to their right winger and they're gonna try and counterattack.

You seen loads of that in the New Zealand friendly, um, where I think they actually surprised a few people.

If you were advising Steve Clarke in terms of formation and tactics, John, to give us the best opportunity to beat Haiti, what would you say?

Um, and before we get into that, if you have been, just kind of say hello and talk about, you know, who you are, what you do, what you've done, just want to make the audience know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Um, I am a, a UEFA licensed coach, but like everyone that knows how football is, especially in Scotland, there's not a lot of money.

So on those B and A licenses, they preach a lot about not trying to become a head coach 'cause your chances of becoming a head coach are very limited.

Um, so on that kind of chatter, I took a real interest in analysis.

I thought that was gonna be a route and an avenue that I could probably break into.

Um, I, I didn't do anything on social media then.

[laughs]

How important is it to win on Saturday and, uh, uh, is it important or, or is it more just a decent performance and, and these guys getting acclimatized to the conditions?

I think it's the acclimatization, to be honest, more than anything.

Like I, I've spoke to people from Uzbekistan, South Korea, and, and Australia.

S- some of their players were out four weeks ago acclimatizing.

Like they, they had squads out four weeks ago.

Now, that still had club players to join later on 'cause the season was still going 10 days ago.

But they had, they've had the bulk of their squad out four weeks ago acclimatizing, training, working through it because that's how long it's going to take.

And having navigated his way to Premiership safety via the playoffs, he's, he's got re- his reward and he's got the job, Craig McLeish.

So I think the, the going to the three was probably a necessity to g- to offer a little bit more solidity to the team.

team.And then almost worry and let the players try and create at the top end of the pitch.

But you have to be solid.

And I think it's been great to see.

It's been fascinating as a football fan and kind of knowing some of the players and knowing the manager to see how it's developed over time and see how he tinkers with things.

But point about John speaking at, like, Scotland are capable of getting embarrassed.

And that's no slant on them because they're playing against top players.

Totally agree

Where are you worried that the Brazils will get after

them? Giving them...

It's a weird one because I never really feel that Scotland are overly weak in any area because Steve Clarke does have them so... well-organized, but I feel like the problem we do is we give an opposition all the ball, so they have all the time to feel their way into a 15, 20-minute game.

The climate's going to be horrendous for our players, so if we're letting a team pass around us and we're having to shuffle and move, shuffle and move, after some players have played a 55, 60 game season.

I just don't see how Scotland are able to do what they can do.

And they definitely can't go and press teams because anytime they have press teams, I felt like that's when we'd be really embarrassed by Holland, by France.

We've tried to do things in friendlies where we've been aggressive in the front foot.

Do you think there's a world where McTominay really, really steps up and becomes a world-class player here? Is that one of the hopes?

where does that term come from, I guess is what I wanted to ask.

Yeah.

Well, I wanted to hybridize vegan and organic together, so, uh, partly to make it less of a mouthful to say [laughs] and to write.

So it's vegan sort of plus organic.

It's l- like, you know, they've cross-fertilized each other so it comes out as veganic.

I think it, to me, it's the ultimate evolution of organic gardening, a- and I'm not sure it can go much further really, 'cause it- it's, it's reached to like a zenith.

Because it's, it's moved away from completely awa- it moves, moves you completely away from kind of killing anything.

Do you have a perspective on this?

Yeah.

Um, I think the transparency and the openness, if I listen to friends that are Man United fans, and the Glazers have been there for however many years, and you never hear a peep from them.

Uh, season ticket prices going up, never know what's happening with managers of the club or what the build is.

Rangers don't have that.

Andrew Kavanagh's been willing to come here, do full media, speak to Rangers TV, do the full interviews, go and approach fans and actually talk to fans, whether they've been in hotels at European games, whether they were over at the crowd at halftime at Falkirk in the last game of the seasonThat helps.

It definitely helps that you're able to be fronted and show yourself and then address the fact.

And I, I actually like the thing he said about Danny Roll was that you cannae always just blame the manager.

[laughs]